12:45p.m. 1st September 2008

| Hayley Nissen

The thing better than treating yourself to a massage is not having to leave the comfort of your own home to do so.

Ripple Massage is based throughout the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Mount Tamborine and has an extensive, delicious menu of massages and body treatments available, all of which can be provided at your convenience.

My treatment of choice was the two-hour Get Ready for Spring package, something Ripple Massage managing director Allison Shaw says every woman should treat herself to.

Claire, my masseuse, arrived right on time, massage table and iPod in hand. After she had set up, Claire instructed me to make myself comfortable on my lounge and then produced a hot foot soak with peppermint and lime to rejuvenate my tired feet. After they’d soaked, she patted them dry and got me to lie on the massage table where she began the second part of my treatment – a full body aromatherapy massage with essential oils that Allison makes herself.

As Claire’s expert hands worked their magic, finding my tender spots and releasing the knots, my mind began to drift as my body fully relaxed.

Then, while I was still lying on my front, Claire began to exfoliate my body with a walnut, tangerine and lime scrub designed to polish the skin and get rid of dead cells. This was then wiped off with a steaming hot towel and dried before being covered back over.

I then rolled over on to my back and the massage/exfoliation bliss continued. Claire applied an organic green clay and cucumber mask to my face before working her way down to my feet for a reflexology massage, thumbing away at the hours spent walking, standing and running. By the time she was finished with my feet, the face mask was dry and Claire set to work removing it with hot towels before using a natural honey mosituriser on my skin, which I then got to keep.

Claire then massaged my neck, shoulders and head, which was, in my opinion, the very best part of the treatment. When she was finished I practically rolled off the table, every muscle in my body relaxed and with the added bonus of soft, shiny skin.

It’s something I will definitely be doing again... and again... and again.

www.ripplemassage.com.au